Hatch cover



Feb. 12, 1929. l 1 1,701,965

J.S. WOOD HATCH covER Filea May 29. 1925 4 Sheets-sheet 1 atto-z nu; J

Feb. l2, 1929.

J. S. WOQD HATCH COVER Filed may 29. 1925 4 sheets-sheet 2 Febo l2, v "Y 4 J. s. WOOD mmm covER 1 Filed May 29. i925 4 sheets-sheet 3 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l l 1 Irl infill/111111111111 lll l l Il Inventor abbozmd J- S. WOCD HATCH covER Fel 12,1929,

Filed Hay 29, 1925 Cil Patented Feb.. 12, 1929.

N l TED S 'l` i 'l HAT GH COVER.

Application aies nay sa, i925. sensi no. 33,741.

This invent-ion relates to freight boat construction and particularly to the hatches, their covers and mechanism for handling the same.

The handling of ore or coal on the VGreat Lakes has developed many new principles of construction and operation of freighter-s. Among the various developments there the one of loading and unloading through the hatches. llt various points on the lakes filiere ore and coal are loaded into the hatches the loading shoots as well as the unloading devices are installed on 24 footcenters so that for proper loading the hatches through the decks for the various freight boats must be arranged on 2a foot centers in order for the boats to be universally capable of loading and unloading at the various docks. These hatches are covered, when the boat is in transit from one dock to another, by various covering or closing devices, one very effective form of prior construction being the nesting sectional hatch cover which is made up of a plu? rality of transverse sections arranged to slide one upon the other and nesting in a pile as it were, beyond the end of the hatch on suitable bars suitably arranged on the sides of the hatch coaming. All of these arrangements take up room at the ends of the hatch or the only points where there are through passages from one end of the boat to the other. It has become good practice to provide hatches with covers, provided with gaskets, which are arranged to be seated on the vupper edges of the hatch coaming to prevent the wash from getting into the hold of the vessel. When these covers are made in a single piece, it is extremely diiiicult to find storage room upon the deck when the hatches are given sufficient opening and furthermore there has been no very good way of handling them.

It is to be noted further that with all ofthe covers heretofore utilized, it has been necessary to provide tarpaulin covers which are spread over the hatch covers and brought down on the sides where they are hatten down by ropes and wooden strips on the side of the coen-linge. These covers do not always prevent the sea from washing into the hatches and furthermore, they present considerable difficulty in handling at all times and especially in cold weather when they are covered with snow and ice. Furthermore none of the covering devices heretofore used tend to strengthen or brace the deck portion of the vessel.

Vintervenin' hatch cover Storace s aaces of a proximately 13 feet. It also contemplates the use of one-piece covers suitably braced to maintain their shape and camber and provided with means whereby load hoo-ks from a crane may he readily applied to a cover to raise the saine, after which the crane is moved along until the cover registers with the space between the hatcheswhen it is lowered and the nent cover removed in like manner. Since it is customary to utilize as much of the hold as possible for ore and coal, it becomes necessary to provide as many hatches as possible, always maintaining the saine center distance. This also presents the ditiiculty in this present arrangement of taking care of the last hatch cover and to provide for this difficulty the last hatch cover has its parts, such as the strengthening` ribs, arranged in staggered relation with respect to the parts of the preceding cover so that two covers may be piled, one upon the other, avoiding the necessity of otherwise disposing of the cover at the end of the row. V

The present invention also contemplates the rigid clamping ofthe hat-ches to the coamings for the purpose of drawing the cover tightly down upon the gaskets used to prevent leak age and also for the purpose of strengthening and ire-enforcing the entire deck of the vessel.

The invention may be further briefly sum inariaed as consisting in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth in the drawings, description and claims.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a top plan view y showing the deck of a freighter with some of the hatch covers in place and others removed and arranged between hatches; Fig. 2 is an end view of the hoist frame; Fig. 3 is a trans, verse section through the deck showing the hatch and cover in section and showing the hoisting` mechanism in side elevation taken on line 3-3, Fig. l; il is a sectional view upon the line l 4, l; Fig. 5 is a. top plan view of a portion of the hoisting'mechanism5 coaming for aligning the covers; and Fig. 9

is a .detailed view showing the clamping means for the cover.

In the .drawings 1 represents the hull of a freighter provided with the usual steel plate v-deck 2 and having therein a plurality of transverselyextending hatchopenings V3 each provided with a coaining 4 of theusual vertically extending plate struct-ure. The up per outer edge of this coaming 4 is re-'enforced by ari-angle 5 extending around the outside of the upper margin. vAt intervals along the sides and ends the coaming itself, and especially the angles 5, are re-enforced'by verti cally extending braces 6 and gussets 7 rigidly secured in place., The arrangement of these strips 6 and gussets 7 issuch that they support the coaming and also' support the angles 5 from being broken down by the unloading buckets. These angles present abroad flat face for a gasket, as will appear. lAs stated, the hatches are on 24 foot centers with the hatch Lopening 11 feet in width so that intervening spaces 8 are provided for the covers and the bracing strips 6 are equal in width' to' the outwardly `extending flanges of the angles 5 on the sides of the coamings sot-hat the covlers are directed toV their proper space. between the hatches and are prevented from engaging underneath the angles 5 when the hatch covers are raised from their storage spaces.

- Each hatch coaining is adapted to receive a cover and each cover consists of a cover plate structure 9 arranged to fit over the upper margin of the hatch coaming and provided with a gasket 10 of rubber orother similar sealing medium. Since it is the practice in the construction of freighters to have a cam berin the deck, the hatch coamings at their sides are provided with a cainber or arch so Vthat their covers must have the same arch or camberA and to maintainy this coni'iguration each cover except the last one is provided on its upper surface with longitudinally extend ing Isbeams 11, preferably two in number, suitably distributed across the widthof the cover; These I-beams are given the proper i lcurvature to Vmaintain the camber of rthe cover. Each cover is also strengthened transversely by cross channels 12 arranged onits underside.. Thesecross channels are mitered cover wherethe cross braces are on the top the sides of the cover ronthe underside are Yprovided with a suitable number of guiding 1ne1nbers-125to center this particular cover.

Inthe case of the. last cover, which must be stacked upon its preceding cover, the longitudinal l-beanis 13 corresponding to the I- beams 11 are' arranged upon the underside tion and arrangement that since `the covers extend Vover the margins of the hatches they may be removed and stored between hatches except in the case of the last one wherein the Y lastcover, by reason of its peculiar const-ruction, may be stacked upon the one preceding.

In this way the maximum deck clearance is In ord-er' to properly handle the hatchV covers, `suitable hoisting and lconveying provided and the passage ways along theends ofthe hatches Vare not obstructed by any means, common toall hatches, is provided and the arrangementcontemplates the use of rails 14 extendingiore and aft and along f ends of the hatches. Mounted upon Vthese Y rails is a travelling crane or hoist and it comprises Ashaped end'frame members 15, each provided with a pair of supporting wheels 16 one of which is provided with a sprocket 17. rlhese two A-frame members are secured together by suitable sills or cross members 18 properly braced to provide a rigid substan-- tial travelling crane Y extending over the hatches and arranged totravel from one endv mechanism, generally indicated at 20 and of any preferred construction, to the shaft 21. This shaft 21 through a pinion '22 drives a gear 23, arranged upon a shaft 24 extending froinone end of the frame to the other and provided with two sprockets 2 5 each provided with a chain 26 engaging the corresponding sprocket 17 upon one of the driving wheels. Thel oppositek end of the motor shaft is pro-- vided with a clutch generally indicated at 27, which connects theV motor shaft to a hoist driving shaft 28 provided with a pinion .29 meshing` with a gear'l() upon the shaft of a worm drive generally indicated at 31 and adapted todrivea drum 32 for receiving a pair of vcables 33 and 34.v The cable 34 ex tends over asuitable guide sheave V35 and under a sheave 36 of a load hook 37 and thence upward where it is dead-ende-d at 38 in the frame. The oth-cr cable 33 extends over a sheave 3 9 thence downward under asheave ice llO

40 ot another' load hook structure 41 and is thence extended upward and dead-ended in the traine at 42. The two load hooks are adapted to be engaged in suitable loopsfor eyes 43 secured to the upper surface of the hatch covers at suitable points to balance and handle the load oi the cover. In order to manipulate the clutches 2O and 27 their operating members 44 and 45 are `engaged by arms 46 and 47 respectively. These arms are rigidly mounted upon a shitting rod 48 which eXf tends out at the lett end ofthe frame, as shown in Fig. 5, and is there provided with an operating handle 49 whichmay be moved back and forth to shift one or the other ot the clutches, according to whether the crane is to lift or to travel, as is readily obvious. It may be necessary Ptor one reason or the other to drive the crane by hand in which case the clutches 20 and 27 are both provide-d with gear wheels 50 and 51 which are adapted to mesh with pinions 52 and 53 respectively7 these pinions being arranged upon a shaft 54 in such spaced relation that when one is in engagement with one of' th-e gear wheels, the other is out of engagement. Their arrangement is also such that they may both be moved out of mesh. To produce this movement the shaft 54 is provided with a collar 55 engaged by an arm 56 secured to a shitting rod 57 and provided with a handle 5S at the left or operating end of the crane. The sha-ft 54 is provided with a hand crank 59 which may be used to rotate the shaft 54 and operate the crane for travel or for lifting purposes. The left hand end of the crane is the operating end, as has been indicated above, and a suitably hinged platform 60 is provided and it is supported in low-cred position by chains 61 secured to the frame.

In practice as the freighter is reaching its destination or port the crane is moved above the hatch No. 1 and its load hooks engage with the eyes on the hatch cover. The operator then lifts the cover and moves the crane to the adjacent intervening space between No. l and No. 2 hatches where the cover may be stored or deposited out ot the way. rlhis operation is continued dowfn through the series ot hatches until the last hatch is reached when its cover, by its peculiar arrangement, is moved back over the cover of the preceding hatch and stored upon it.

The reverse operation is repeated for returning the covers to their various hatch coamings.

ln the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 the A- frame members 15 kare supported on the wheels lo as in the other construction7 except that none of these wheels drive the crane but merely travel upon the rails 14 which are supported upon channels or channel shaped brackets 62 arranged upon the deck at the ends ot the hatches with the opening of the channel toward hatch coaming, as shown in Fig. 7. On the underside ot' these channels or channel shaped brackets, and on each end ot the hatches and just below the rails there is a longitudinal rack 63 adapted to be engaged by a pinion -64 carried by a shaft 65 arranged in a hanger or bracket 66 secured to the corresponding Adirame. rfhis shaft is driven through bevel gears 67 and 68 by vertical shaft 69 which through bevel gears 70 and 7l is driven by shaft It is to be imderstood that there is a like mechanism in connection with the other A-trame so that both f-trames are moved in unison and at the same rate along the deck. rlihis arrangement ensures the hoisting mechanism being normal tothe line o its travel whereby the covers are raised and lowered in perfect alinement with `the hatch coamings and the storage paces betweenthe hatches.

To ensure the maximum of alinement ot the covers with their coamings each cover at its four corners is provided with an opening 72 adapted to be alined with a corresponding opening in the flange of the coaming so that a bar of suitable size maybe used by the oper ators in properly alining the covers. These openings are outside of the gasket. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 8. i

The cover may be held down by any suitable means but I prefer to provide a different clamping mechanism which in the present instance comprises hlocks or brackets 73 spaced at intervals around each hatch coaming, and each pivotally supporting a clamping bolt 24 provided with a. wing nut 75. These bolts pass through slots 7 6 in the flange ot' the coaming and through slots 77 in the edge of the cover. The material of the cover within the slot is recessed to provide a seat 7 8 for the rounded portion 79 of the nut.

It will be seen from the foregoing that when the cover is in place the operators apply the clamping bolts and screw them down against the gasket 10 which results in a tight joint and causes the ent-ire deelt to be strengthened by the cover structures.

That l claim is:

l.. The combination ot' a boat having a plurality of similar hatch openings spaced from eac-h other a. distance greater than the width ot a hatch, covers for said hatches, said covers being ot a width less than the space between hatches whereby said covers are capable of storage between hatches. and guiding members carried by the hatches for guiding the covers into the spaces therebetween.

2. rllhe combintion of a boat having a plu rality ot similar hatch openings spaced from each other a distance greater than the width ot av hatch, a coaming for each of the hatches. flanges carried by the upper edges ot said coaming, covers for the hatches adapted to be stored in the spaces between hatches. and vertical guiding means on the sides of the hatch coamings to guide the covers into place and to Lprevent theirengaging the flanges at the edges of the coamngs.

3. The comb'ntaion of a boat having a pair of spacedhatches, a co-ver for each of said hatches, the space between said hatches beine of suicient extent to receive both of said hatch covers when the same arearranged one upon the oth'eipeach of said hatch coversbeing` provided with a pair of spaced ref-inforcing strips, one of said hatch covers having its strips arranged Aon its under surface, While the other hatch cover has itsre-inforc ing strips arranged on its yupper surface, and means for removing said hatch covers from their hatches and storing themA one upon the other in the space between said hatches.

4. The combination of a boat having' a pair of spaced hatches, a cover for each of said hatches, the space between said'hatches being of sufficient extent to receive bothof saidV strips of one of said hatch covers being dif-A ferently spaced from the re-inforcing strips of the other hatch cover, so that4 said hatch covers may be stored in the space'between the hatches one. upon the other with their rep-inforcing` strips toward each other in staggered relation. Y

In testimony whereof I hereby a-HX my signature.

JOSEPH S. WOOD. 

